Hiroko Yakushimaru (薬師丸 ひろ子, Yakushimaru Hiroko, born June 9, 1964) is a Japanese actress and vocalist. After passing the audition for the film produced by Haruki Kadokawa, she began her acting career. Along with teen idols Tomoyo Harada and Noriko Watanabe who made debut after a similar process, she was often described as one of "Kadokawa Sannimusume" in her early career. Yakushimaru made her acting debut in the 1978 movie Never Give Up. In 1981, she came into prominence with Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, the film where she played the leading role and recorded the theme song. Since rising to fame, Yakushimaru has gained success as both an actress and a pop singer, mainly in the 1980s. She had also worked as a prolific recording artist until her marriage with Kōji Tamaki, the leader of the band Anzen Chitai. According to the Japanese Oricon chart, combined sales of her singles and albums have been estimated at least 5.85 million copies as of January 2011. [Wikipedia]